TrippingStep

What? Benitez had clear patterns in our offensive play and I remember some great matches in the last three months with Benitez, at least I was seeing them and a big difference to what we were doing under Di Matteo. And with the handicap of playing every three days, meaning not many trainings and coming in the middle of the season. In the last three months, we were the best team in the premier league.

Have you watched Real Madrid against Manchester United in the champion's league last year. Manchester was glad to sit deep and during long spells of the match, Real was just happy to play a slow passing game and waiting game with no real plan to attack their defence. Mourinho's team.

I agree with you but with Benitez, we were seeing clear patterns in the build up and attacks, at least I had an idea of what we were trying to do to hurt the opposite defences while this year, I and the players seems to have no idea what they are doing in possession. Last year, I've seen many attacking moves that were clearly prepared during the training session, that looked like basketball system, with blocks, triangle plays, runs to draw defenders, there was a purpose in what they were doing. Except a few games, even in some of our draws in defeats, we created many more clear chances than on the matches we have played this year. Until now, what is happening is what I had fears when Mourinho was announced as our coach, we don't have the deep midfielders and powerful players in front for his tactic and the premier league teams are much better than before defending deep.

Is Schurrle injured? Azpi in the team, great, I like the way he positions himself to play one touch quick passes.

David Luiz lol

Thanks Eto'o and Hildebrand. Don't know how we would have scored in this first half otherwise.

What I don't understand, is why the club didn't buy central midfielders in the summer. I thought it would have been the priority of the new manager and club after the last seasons. And what annoys me is that Azpi is not playing many matches, Mata Luiz Hazard are performing well below what they were doing under Benitez. Ramires has a very restrictive role and I miss his run full of pace after we would have set-up plays and creating space where he could go. We had 61% possession yesterday but how much % in our own half. I prefered 55-60% but nearly all in their own half and with real pressure on their defence than our % with no change of rythm and no real plan in the final third. For me Benitez did a good job, changing the personnal in the back four and have them play a higher line, the players in the pivot having less trackback running to do, Azpi in the right back was great as he gave width, Oscar could come inside, if not, Ramires could have space to run at speed. I liked the triangle plays on the side to either release a runner behind their fullback, if not fixing a side of the opposition defense where a quick change of play to the other side could be dangerous. The way we were setting play with players like Hazard, Oscar, Ramires, even sometimes Luiz driving in a controlled way was giving a little bit of space to Mata. And I liked that our passing between the back four was much quicker.

I really don't understand why it's a surprise we look average when the other team let us have the ball. If it was the case with Chelsea first time with world class midfielders and at Real Madrid, why would we look better with inferior deeper midfielders that all previous Mourinho team. If it happened against Aston Villa, not bothering attacking Manchester United, against Norwich that had more chances to score the winner in the second half, against Basel. When we put more pressure in attack, we don't look to have a clear plan and leave huge spaces between our central midfield and central defense. After all the matches this year and previous Mourinho team, I think the best is to accept that Mourinho's team are better when they let the other team have the possession and play quick counters. What is annoying is that the premier league since 2008-2009 have a majority of teams much better defensively when they don't have the ball, not pressing like headless chickens like a lot of teams used to do.

Honest question? Against Aston Villa, Manchester United, Norwich, except the results, were they really better matches than this match against Newcastle. When the other team let us the ball, we have looked very average in nearly all our matches. Look at the way we have scored goals, 70-80% have been quick counter-attacks or set-pieces.

In the last 3 months of Benitez, the central defense never played so deep in possession and there were no 80 passes between our central defenders. You can be mad after this performance but it's just bullshit what you say. Was it Benitez team in early season that didn't try to attack Manchester United?

Not a great result but it's not like we were playing superb football on some of the matches we won. We already had difficulties this season when the other teams were playing deep. Against Norwich we could have lost that match as before our late goals, Norwich had more chances than us in the second half. If we had scored the first goal and countered them to death, I'm sure the opinions would have been different. Our build-up is very negative, we keep the ball in our half between our central defenders, hoping the other team will make mistakes in their pressing and leaving us space than a build-up to really hurt the other team organisation. And we had already the problem of huge space between our central defense and central midfield when the central midfield is pushing more to support the attacks. And if they stay in place, we have difficulties to play a quick passing game with quick interchanges of position in the final third.

It's because he's not a professionnal coach, he has the title of assistant-coach but he's just a friend of Wilmots. He only coached some small teams in lower division in Belgium

I disagree on that; If I would want a very good one on one defender, I would pick Azpilicueta over Bertrand. At Marseille, there was a match where he kept Ribery in his pocket.

Seems like the same ankle he was feeling pain in the beginning of the match against Norwich. I remember he was checking his right ankle very early on in the match against Norwich.

I've seen him against Aston Villa yesterday, Aston Villa were not parking the bus and were leaving him a lot of space. Nothing impressive. When Cardiff were opening up, we saw that Oscar, Hazard, William could run very quick counter-attack. The problem we have now is that we play much slower from the back, no intention of setting play from the back where one could drive with the ball to open the opposition defense. Cardiff on Saturday, could defend with 9-10 players against 6-7 players as the opposition is happy to leave our central defenders 15 meters away from the other players. If we would play the ball quicker from deep right to left with threats of drive of Luiz or full backs coming inside, it would mess the midfield line of the opponent, opening angles of space and some space for the attacking midfielders to play.

It's quite funny. It's like all the lucky ugly goals he didn't score the years before that nearly all players have have come now.

Steve Holland mentioned it in the chelsea tv interview after the match. As the fullback was always keeping with Hazard in his movement, Eto'o could move there in the space the fullback was leaving. At Lille, it was a play often used, as Hazard would be double marked, when a players would push out of position to follow him, there would be a diagonal run to the zone that Hazard was leaving.

Great for the belgian national team if Dembele Chadli will not play many matches at Tottenham

Interesting. I think it's because of his trademark narrow defending, leaving space on the side for someone to cross the ball and the german team are usually very good at cutting crosses, headers from a midfielder running to the box, and are also quite good on long range shots, the defense could maybe clear the ball but if the second ball falls to german midfielder, it can be dangerous.

He's the victim of the way we are playing right now. With the slow build-up from the back, we have difficulties to find him with a little bit of space. With our system of the last months, our movements were made to create space for him or Ramires, Lampard run from behind. And He can't like Oscar, William, Hazard, Schurrle make quick runs form our own-half on counter-attacks like we have seen on the last matches.

It seems like only Arsenal are performing in the beginning of this season.

Because the norwich defender touched the ball and control it the wrong way.

Glad we won but in the second half, there was way too much space between the central defense and central midfield.

I think it's more a political statement for the fa and referees.

Time for William and Hazard to come in.